Assessment in ATHS

Formative & Summative Assessment

Assessment in ATHS

Formative & Summative Assessment

Assessment​

Assessment at ATHS schools provides two main functions. First, it certifies that students have attained the knowledge and competencies identified in the course learning outcomes and the successful completion of those assessments may be used for progression to higher grade levels and the selection of clusters. Secondly, assessments can be used as a valuable tool for teaching and learning as they inform the teachers of the capacities and limitations of their students.

Assessment is concerned with how learning is going or how it is taking place. Primarily, it is process- oriented and involves learning, teaching, and outcomes as they are happening. Assessment gives information for improving learning and teaching and is an interactive procedure between students and teachers that inform the latter how well their students understand and learn what they are being taught. There are many factors to consider when thinking about the importance of assessment. At any given school, students are assessed for a large variety of reasons. Not all teachers may be aware of this, but assessment definitely goes beyond grades. Researchers agree that assessment is used to motivate, create learning opportunities, give feedback (to both students and instructors), to grade, and to serve as a quality assurance instrument for internal and external systems. The way assessment improves learning depends on five key factors:

  • The specification of effective feedback to students
  • The keen involvement of students in their own learning
  • Modifying teaching to take account of the results of assessment
  • Identifying the immense influence assessment has on the motivation and confidence of students both of which are decisive influences on learning
  • The need for students to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve Assessment can be broken down into two integral components: formative and summative.

Formative Assessment Cycle

Formative assessment or assessment for learning is often done at the beginning or during a program, thus providing the opportunity for direct indication about student learning in a particular subject or at a particular point in a program. Formative assessment can be thought of as a form of assessment for learning where it is an ongoing learning process. In fact, assessment for learning provides students with a lucid anticipation of the learning outcome from the beginning of the year. Researchers agree that formative assessments aid teachers to identify strengths and weaknesses of their students so they can lay out plans that meet their academic needs. Formative assessments can take plenty of forms as there are a large range of them including:
summative assessment cycle

Assessment

Summative Assessment

Summative assessment or assessment of learning is comprehensive in nature. It is used to check the level of learning of students at the end of any given program. It provides accountability and is used to check the level of learning. At ATHS, this can be seen in the form of End-of-Term exams, System- Wide Quizzes, competency exams, as well as standardized tests.

ATHS Assessment System is organized around the primary purpose of improving student learning by providing useful information about students’ academic progress towards achieving imperative learning goals.